On Moments with Special Guest Jessica Keller

Help me give a warm, InspyRomance welcome to Jessica Keller! Jess is one of my dearest friends and my NovelSista (okay – that doesn’t mean a whole lot to most people, but trust me, it means something – like I imagine a sorority or something might ;)). I’ve been contemplating what to post today for quite some time, but today is a bummer day for me – it would have been my mom’s 69th birthday. While it doesn’t hold the sting it used to, and my kids and I have cake to celebrate (mmm… cake!), it’s still a bit tough and it was hard for me to come up with a good topic.

Jess to the rescue! She has a new Love Inspired book out (fireman!) and also has some non-Contemp-romance books out – both a contemp/historical combo and a YA – LOVE them both and can’t wait for the sequels! Check them out on her Amazon page :D.

Without further ado… On Moments…

“Lose not yourself in a far off time. Seize the moment that is thine.” –Friedrich Schiller

The question I find most often in my inbox from readers is: How do you come up with ideas for your books? So I thought it would be fun to walk through a thought progression of how my latest book came from a quick idea. What I like to call: seizing a moment.

Tucked near my house is a little, white clapboard church that looks like it belongs in a Hallmark movie, doing double duty as a one room schoolhouse. Headstones in the cemetery beside it date back to the 1800’s. And the name? Church of the Big Woods. Does it get quainter than that? I think not.

Each morning as I drive to work I look forward to seeing the church. Watching the leaves change around it. Smiling as it stands proud, like a sparrow refusing to fly south for yet another snowstorm.

A few years ago, very early on a winter morning, I passed the church as the sun rose behind it. And I gasped. I had to pull over on the side of the rode and just stare. Brilliant orange-pink light hit at just the right angle to illuminate just the church—making it shine in the midst of the woods. Sunlight streamed through century old stained glass windows.

And the worst thought ever hit me: It looks like the church is on fire.

That’s all it took to plant a new story into my head. This happens to many writers I know. A thought like this happens, and we hold onto it and keep asking questions. The entire rest of that week they zinged through my head. Why would someone set a church on fire? What if someone was in the church when it was on fire? What if the person who set the fire didn’t know about the person inside? What if they were kids? What if they crossed paths later and fell in love—not knowing that one had set the fire that caused the other to suffer third degree burns? What if the guy who set the fire became a fireman as a way to atone? What if they both got dragged into rebuilding that same church more than ten years later?

Talk about a lot of tension in a story already…and I didn’t have the characters’ names yet!

Authors seize the moment by noticing little things and asking questions, but I’ve found this can be really powerful in other parts of life too. The lady at work who is suddenly quiet when she used to always be cheerful, see her? Something is going on. She needs us to ask questions and offer encouragement. She needs someone to notice. When your son comes home from school and goes straight to his room and doesn’t emerge even after cookies come out of the oven—ask questions and seize that moment. Out for a walk and spot one courageous flower poking through the still cold earth of pre-spring. Stop and seize that moment. God’s letting you know that flowers bloom even when the world feels like it will never be anything but gloomy.

Life is a series of moments. Don’t miss them.

Care to share a moment from your past week? Or ask a question about how authors get their ideas? I’d love to hear them.

Carol again! Jess has been telling me about this book for like… years now! I read the first couple chapters eons ago and the paperback is staring at me every time I walk through the library. Ah! It’s tops on my TBR stack when I can breathe again and the monumental tasks before me are but fond (or not so fond ;)) memories. I CAN’T WAIT!

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Jessica Keller holds degrees in both Communications and Biblical Studies. She is multi-published in both Young Adult Fiction and Inspirational Romance and has 100+ magazine and newspaper articles to her name. Her latest release is The Fireman’s Secret. She also has a speaking ministry and loves to talk books. Jessica lives in the Midwest with her amazing husband and their very giggly daughter.

When she's not writing about her imaginary friends, Carol Moncado is hanging out with her husband and four kids in the big yard of their southwest Missouri home, teaching American Government at a community college, reading, or watching NCIS. She's a member of ACFW and RWA, President and founding member for the MozArks ACFW group, and a category coordinator for ACFW's First Impressions.

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Welcome to the community at Inspy Romance! The authors are so happy to see you. We offer two random commenters a $20 Amazon gift card every month, so don’t be shy! Jump in, and let’s get to know each other.

I am always amazed at the way an author can turn an idea into a story. I love hearing about those moments when a story is born! Thank you for sharing this great post. I am eager to read The Fireman’s Secret!

I really enjoyed your book The Fireman’s Secret. It was quite interesting how the lovely sight of the church helped you come up with the idea for your book .Don’t want to spoil how you used the idea in the book. Looking forward to reading The Widower’s Second Chance. I would love to win The Widower’s Second Chance.

I have to say it’s amazing how your whole book was inspired by this little though beautiful sight. It’s an amazing story behind what sounds like a great book.

The sky is such a beautiful gift from God. Sunsets and sunrises are such beautiful things.

For Christmas I bought my sister a star finder (it’s a tool to find specific stars depending on the time and the date, since the sky changes depending on those variables) and we went out a couple of nights to look at the stars. I had never really done that before, but when you look up at the sky at night it’s so beautiful. I catch myself looking at the skies at night sometimes ever since that and every time I am amazed by the beauty of it all and thank God for everything He gave us.

I know it’s not a moment from my past week, but I felt like sharing since your post made me think about it :)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. – Psalms 19: 1-2 (ESV)

I live in an area rural enough to see lots of stars at night and I love it – not the Milky Way unfortunately, but far more than many places. And I have a hero who loves to hike and camp etc [coming soon!] who shouts that regularly when he reaches a peak, etc. :)

I’m going to have to look up a star finder! I bet my kids would love it!

I’m sure your would love it!
You can find some good ones on Amazon. I bought might at a gift shop in a science center and it cost about 12$. But I have seen some on Amazon that are even cheaper (about 6$), just make sure you have one for the right Hemisphere (either North or South) and that there is a wheel so you will be able to set it at the right time (I saw some that don’t have a wheel so it only shows a part of the sky).
This tool is also called a Star Wheel (it might ease your search).

It’s great that you are able to see lots of stars, with a Star Wheel your kids could identify them :)

Jessica, Thank you for posting for Carol. The church you drive past everyday reminds me of the community church and school,where my Mom grew up.
I would love to read your books.
Carol,I know how you feel,I miss my Momma.
The last week for me has been full of snow and sleet and I woke up to sunshine this morning. God is good.

My kids have been home all day [though hubs just took them to a movie and they’ll be back in school tomorrow]. We made a cake today and we’ll eat it tomorrow since they’re having a snack at the movie. We’re going to have nice weather this weekend – THANK GOD! :D

Ok a moment from this past week; We celebrated our first grand-daughters 1st birthday on the 3rd of March! My sister-in-law & her daughter (my niece) drove down from Washington on Monday to be a part of the celebration. Even though my little grand-baby didn’t understand what was going on, she sure enjoyed being the center of attention! I made homemade chocolate cake with chocolate frosting & did an individual cupcake just for her. She had no idea what to do with it…haha! But she quickly got the idea that it was really good to eat. She enjoyed opening her presents & playing with them right away. Such a good time was had by everyone! I just can’t believe that the time has gone so quickly, it seems just yesterday we were in the delivery room watching her be born! God is so good :-)
I am currently reading “The Fireman’s Secret” to review for Jessica. I’m almost finished with it, but it has taken me longer than normal to read. Just so many things come up in life sometimes! But I promise, I am almost done with it. Hope to have the review done sometime on the weekend! :-) I really enjoyed learning how you came up with the storyline. It sure adds to the book! Thanks for sharing that.
I would love to have “The Widowers Second Chance” to add to it & would gladly pass it on to my sister-in-law who is also an avid reader! Thank you for coming on the blog today to share about your book & for a terrific giveaway! And for encouraging us to connect with people who are hurting. We really should do more of that! Blessings to you Jessica & Carol both!

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